The U.S. again broke its daily record for new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, as local health departments recorded 50,000 new confirmed cases of the virus, according to a database kept by Johns Hopkins.
The previous record was set Tuesday when health departments reported about 45,400 new cases.
The figures highlight a continued spike in cases throughout the country over the past few weeks. Prior to the recent peak, the highest daily increase in confirmed cases came on April 24, when health departments reported about 36,400 new cases. The U.S. has recorded at least 38,900 new cases every day for the last week.
(John's Hopkins)
Because the Johns Hopkins database is reliant on reporting from local health departments, the data doesn't necessarily reflect a patient's day of infection. Daily case numbers are often higher mid-week because some local health departments or test centers may be closed on weekends.
It's not just cases that are on the rise. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, use of hospital beds, ICU beds and invasive ventilators have all risen in recent weeks after months of falling resource use.
Many states have either "paused" or chosen to take steps back in their reopening process as cases and hospitalizations linked to the virus continue to rise.
On Tuesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci — the government's top expert on infectious diseases — called the recent spike in cases "disturbing," and said that he could foresee the U.S. reporting up to 100,000 new COVID-19 cases a day if recent trends continue.
